Fishing is one of the most popular recreational activities in the world. One of the most common ways to fish entails use of a fishing rod or pole that is attached to a fishing line with a baited hook. The fishing rod is typically held by a user as the line and hook are submerged in a lake, pond, river, or other body of water believed to contain fish. In northern winter climates, the lake or pond may be partially frozen, with users boring a hole through a thick layer of ice to access the water and fish below.
One problem the present inventor recognized in ice fishing concerns use of tip ups, which evolved to allow fishing without the need for holding a fishing rod. A tip-up is a spring-loaded fishing device that senses a fish strike (bite) on a fishing line and automatically jerks a portion of the upward while simultaneously raising a small flag to signal the strike. The device is very popular because it allows users to enjoy ice fishing while sitting in the comfort of warming houses, typically portable ones positioned on a frozen lake.
Unfortunately, tip-ups require users attempting to catch a fish to pull in their fishing line hand over hand, typically while kneeling on the ice or otherwise bending over. Moreover, tip-ups are not suitable for catching fish, such as crappy and walleye, that are sensitive to the line resistance imposed by these spring-loaded mechanisms. Indeed, tip-ups can frequently be triggered by such fish striking without getting hooked, forcing users to leave the comfort of their warming houses to reset their tip-ups without the reward of an actual catch.
Accordingly, the present inventor has identified a need to provide better ways of ice fishing.